Once again another excellent job by Alex ‘Stormy’ Mundy in matching the solos to the loops on this extraordinary series of concerts.
Back in 1979 when Fripp was playing pizza parlours, record company offices and record stores he said in an interview that the motto of the tour then was ‘human contact.’ Although the circumstances surrounding these performances were quite different, that notion of personal interaction seems very appropriate.
Loop I and Solo I alternates between breathless runs on the fretboard often ending in heart-stopping lurches as the solo teeters on the edge before abruptly disappearing into silence, which is then met with distant applause.
Loop II solo II slowly unfurling in a tender fashion but quickly gathers pace as Fripp starts delving deeper into this strange and beguiling sonic space. One of the contradictions which Frippertronics concerts turn up is that ability to appear to be working with something intensely personal to the guitarist, whilst at the same time touching the audience in deep and unexpected ways. One superbly illustrative anecdote of this experience comes this music is found on Robert’s diary for September 9th 2000.
“This classic from a personal meeting with one of the more experienced Team, from when they were courting the woman that became their wife. The Crafty took his woman to a Frippertronics show at Washington Square Church (July 1981). Anyone familiar with Crim/RF might immediately rush to judgement: this is not a relationship destined to last beyond the following morning. However, the opposite was the case. In later years she said to him: "I thought you must have something very deep in your soul to get something out of that noise".”
Soul music indeed!
